As Mad stated check the small wire connections, especially the 3 that plug in the top of the alternator. They seem to chat hell every time you do some work on the top of the engine, or if the bracket that holds the heater hose off the top of the alternator is bent or broken, it will let the hose ride on those wires.

 

All wires look good and snug, very clean connectors other than the one huge positive cable connector...it looks chewed up by jumper cable claws...

New starter is in the mail due to arrive on the 9th...I gotta get this problem fixed...I wonder if it's the 'made in mexico' alternator I bought from autozone at fault here...which has a sticker on the side 'tested 3 times'....

Just to be sure, is there a possible fuse or relay that could cause this?

 

Checked the connections thoroughly, all seems well except for the plug on top of the alternator which has 3 wires running into it, I think some rubbing was happening from the bracket not holding the other wires correctly...I can see bare copper but I don't see any damage to the wires themselves at all.

I'm referring to the clip that plugs into the top of the alternator if it's not clear

FUnny this only ever started when I swapped my 850cca batteries for odyssey 65 980cca batteries...

THanks alot for the help,
Larry

 

Get the truck started and put your volt meter on the battery posts (positive and negative). If it doesn't read at least 14v with the engine running, then the alternator isn't charging the batteries. Take the alternator off and take it back to Autozone and have them test it.

 

Zero lights are on after I start the engine. I need to jump the vehicle with 3 batteries to start the engine but yea...

 

Zero lights are on after I start the engine. I need to jump the vehicle with 3 batteries to start the engine but yea...

 

My first couple steps if it were me!!

 

Just changed the alternator and had the old one tested at autozone, it turned out to be a bad alternator. Charged up the truck fully by driving it around with the new alternator in, parked it, let it sit for around 4 hours, tried to start it back up, batteries ran out of juice so quickly...Starter seems really sluggish and it seems like there is a vampiric force at work because these are some top of the line batteries...I don't know what to think guys...hopefully when the new starter I ordered comes in the mail on the 10th it solves everything but for some reason I doubt that is gonna happen...

I wish I had a doggone camera phone I could take a picture of the positive passengers side terminal, how badly chewed up it is...I wonder if it has something to do with the voltage always being low...not enough metal there anymore to handle the voltage? I'm gonna go find some random person with a camera phone and post this picture just so you guys can see and maybe that'll put the end to this problem...I'm really hoping it's the starter that's gonna fix everything though...be back in a while!

 

Military style terminals. Hands down the easiest terminal replacement option out there. They are SOLID. Also, perhaps your alternator charging wire(split brown wires) are going out. Have you thought about upgrading to the 3G/4G wire replacement option? Sorry for the big picture.

 

Definitely been thinking about replacing the wires...trouble is I don't trust my google abilities enough to find an exact match for my 1996 F250 7.3L

Could you maybe link me to a great set of battery cables/connectors to buy? I would like this electrical system to be fresh, and I like the sound of military grade! haha

 

I'll PM you the build, as it's rather long. It's floating around this forum, it was originally from Taryn.

 

I know it's quaint and old-fashioned, but there were cameras before there were camera phones (shoot, there were cameras before there were phones....). You could probably find a fairly high res point-and-shoot digital on craigslist for $20. Take way better pics than the little tiny lens on a phone, and the pic will upload straight and formatted right, not upside down or sideways or badly formatted like most phone pics.

Anyway... quick discharge test - charge the batteries back up, drive it again, shut it down and disconnect BOTH negatives. Then leave it for four hours as you did before. Go back and reconnect the negatives and try to start it. If it's still sluggish, your fancy new batteries are not keeping a charge for some reason. If it cranks fast, then you have a parasitic load.

 

Will definitely be doing this when the wife gets home and I can jump the truck started!

 

Jumped the truck using my wife's Jeep connected to the passengers side battery...damn thing still wont start...just really sluggishly draining the voltage to nothing...even with 2 brand spankin new odyssey 65 series batteries, one of which being jumped from my Jeep and it still hovers around 8V in the dash....

Does this mean it's the starter's fault or maybe the wiring's fault?

 

Before you had the alternator tested and replaced it, I was wondering about the outside chance of the glow plug relay contacts being stuck in the closed position. Not very likely but worth checking since something is sure going on.

Also, are you sure the Odyssey batteries are getting a full charge? It takes awhile. Can you get ahold of a good quality automatic battery charger and charge them overnight, or until the charger says they're at 100%.

Also again, you have some great batteries and there's a reason some guys buy $300+ alternators and starters to match the battery quality. I'm concerned that your $100 alternator is going to burn up again trying to provide the current that two discharged Odyssey batteries are asking for.

Hope I'm wrong about that and your new starter permanently solves the problems.

Bob